Police Chief Rod Jones wants the City Council to approve a third police helicopter for his department in order to take a regional aerial policing program from five days per week to seven days per week.

Jones is proposing to buy a Robinson R-66 helicopter, which would be the second in its fleet to sport a peppy Rolls-Royce gas turbine engine that makes it capable of flying with a full load of fuel and full crew on hot summer days.

The Police Department’s first helicopter, the Robinson R-44, which went into service last year, has a less powerful gasoline engine, would move to a back-up status, while the larger and more powerful Robinson R-66 helicopters would be the primary workhorses for a regional program stretching beyond the Fontana to include Rialto, Colton and Redlands.

Three helicopters are needed so that two will be available when periodic major overhauls are needed, Jones said. Having a third copter also means the program can be expanded to serve as an aerial reconnaissance platform for fire departments in the partner cities.

A third helicopter also will provide stability for all the city’s partners, “in case an unexpected hiccup knocks one out of service,” Jones said.

During a recent workshop with the City Council, Jones said the new R-66 Police Edition helicopter, with a price tag of about $1.6 million, will be paid for entirely with drug asset forfeiture funds, the same funding source for the first two helicopters.

Taking on a third whirlybird will result in an operational increase of $201,000, but Jones said the bottom line will have minimal effect on Fontana’s general fund because, in part, the R-66 models can be contracted out to state and federal agencies as a fire observation platform — at a price that far exceeds its hourly operational costs.

“We will get the ships and pilots certified so they can work fires,” he said.

Contributions from the participating partners have helped defray expenses for Fontana, Jones said.

Colton contributes one police officer, who serves in an observation role on helicopter patrols, as does Rialto.

Rialto also has donated secure hangar space at its municipal airport for the helicopters, which saves the venture $45,000 to $60,000 annually, Jones said.

Redlands kicks in Redhawk 1, a single-engine Cessna 172, which provides daytime coverage for the cities.

The Cessna is ideal for surveillance because it is small, quiet and nearly invisible when it flies between an elevation of 2,500 and 3,000 feet, officers say.

Fontana’s helicopters sport forward-looking infrared, or FLIR, optics, which can detect the heat of a person hiding in bushes at night.